Help with my Plecos!

[D.perry]

Hello, I am brand new to getting on forums regarding fish health but have used them to reference for advice and I need some! I have 2 approx. 10 year old plecos that were thriving and within the last few months seem to be something wrong.

They are the only 2 in the tank for years, it's a 30 gallon and they are your common pleco. They have a total loss of appetite and the only waste have been 2 skinny opaque strings. They have a decent diet of flakes, algae discs but mostly peas. I've tried zucchini a couple times but they're not as interested. It almost seems like they are starving. I've tested the water and nothing huge except high nitrate but on the low end. Ammonia is testing at 0.

What I've researched is stress, or poor diet or tank conditions which I don't think is any of these. Or possibly parasites. I'm going to do a gentle 25% water change and have to wait until tomorrow to go anywhere local for advice but is anyone else experienced this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[D.perry]

Also the only thing different I've done recently maybe a couple months ago was add a live plant. They've always had a piece of drift wood in their tank. I'm so stumped, I'm not sure if one will make it through the night . I feel like I've missed something obvious and not sure what I can do or should be looking for.

 

[Autumnsky]

How often are you doing water changes? I am sorry to hear that you're having problems with your Plecos.

What size are these fish? Common Plecos can get really large, heads the size of your hand, body the size of a fore arm...

What other fish are in the tank? 30 gallons is small for 2 10 year old common Plecos.

Without knowing really what is going on, I might guess that there was a water quality issue (they poop little logs normally) could have caused stressful / poor water parameters and led to parasites in the common Plecos to take hold.

Can you test the water?

This would of course help. Did you change / throw away some filter pads a bit of time before the Plecos became unwell? You could have had a mini cycle.

Without having a water test, you may just continue to change about 20-25% of water each day for about week. This will help reduce the concentration of condensed "stuff" in the water.

I would also recommend ordering online /picking up a water test at a lfs. Or if your lfs is doing testing, might call and find out when they do it (one of ours only does it on certain days due to staffing shortages).

Continue pwc's every other day for another week after the first. They your water would likely be pretty much changed over. Depending on what the test results say, if there are any toxic conditions, keep up water changes.

The reason for doing many smaller pwc's rather than just dumping out all the water and starting new, is that the water in the tank and the tap water are likely very, very different. Especially in TDS/ Total Dissolved Solids. This can kill off or further cause stress to already stressed fish.

If you get the test kit sooner than later, you can space the water changes out about 12 hours, or if it is really bad maybe 8. You can get some Ammonia detox liquid.

Prime water conditioner can help with Nitrates as well.

Those Plecos can live 10-15 years.

 

[D.perry]

Thank you for the response. I have a 150 gallon tank but I'm having to invest in the parts when I have the money. But my 2 plecos are the only 2 in the tank. My nitrates were testing between 80 and 160 but ammonia is testing at 0. Water changes are not as regular as I'd like but I've been making it a point to do them every 2 weeks.

I'm taking some water in to get tested tomorrow. If I do the daily 25% water changes do I need to suction the gravel each time or just gently take and replace 25% of the water? Then should I be doing partial doses of stress coat etc.?

 

[Autumnsky]

You can rinse your seasoned filter pads, very gently with treated/ dechlorinated water. You can use a recommended dose of Stresscoat if you want, it can make the water bubble look somewhat like foam in spots so don't be alarmed. For that you might only use it for a few pwc's, or what's recommended. I believe it cayses a slume coat and has aloe vera in it to soothe??? I haven't read it for awhile.

As for vac'ing. I wouldn't yet. You might get thecwster quality better first. After the week or 2 of getting it more like your tap water.

Then if it seems pretty mucky, I'd do a whole tank rinse out, leave the filter alone, as to preserve BB, substrate very gently rinse to remove muck but not too much BB.

Then after 3-4 weeks rinse filter only treated water gently.

You can always add a fine filter pad to clear up more stuff if its circulating in the tank. And that can be vigorously rinsed out in tap water and reused til its brownish and use a new one.

Then do a pwc weekly - a weekly or every 2 weeks alternately filter rinse, only ever use treated water, and next time a gravel vac - even like half one time and the other half the tank the other week. This style helps keep as much BB working in the tank for you.

 

[regan_amell]

Old age

[

Plecos live to about 10-15 years so it could just be old age, hope everything goes well




QUOTE=D.perry;3558060]Hello, I am brand new to getting on forums regarding fish health but have used them to reference for advice and I need some! I have 2 approx. 10 year old plecos that were thriving and within the last few months seem to be something wrong.

They are the only 2 in the tank for years, it's a 30 gallon and they are your common pleco. They have a total loss of appetite and the only waste have been 2 skinny opaque strings. They have a decent diet of flakes, algae discs but mostly peas. I've tried zucchini a couple times but they're not as interested. It almost seems like they are starving. I've tested the water and nothing huge except high nitrate but on the low end. Ammonia is testing at 0.

What I've researched is stress, or poor diet or tank conditions which I don't think is any of these. Or possibly parasites. I'm going to do a gentle 25% water change and have to wait until tomorrow to go anywhere local for advice but is anyone else experienced this? Any advice is greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE]